The Chargers’ defense gave up only 17.7 points per game last season, best in the NFL. It was as remarkable as it was unexpected. After all, Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz were mere months into their new jobs as coach and general manager and it was all new to them and the players.
Somehow, some way, under the watchful gaze of new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, it all clicked. The Chargers went on to win 11 games, playing stingy defense in almost all of them en route to an AFC wild-card appearance that proved they were good but not good enough.
Change was inevitable, but Hortiz approached the offseason with the idea that the Chargers needed more depth. So, when players like defensive linemen Poona Ford and Morgan Fox signed elsewhere, for instance, Hortiz sought to replace them with not one player but two or maybe three.
The result appears to be a deeper defensive lineup that features strength in numbers at all positions. Above all, Hortiz re-signed outside linebacker Khalil Mack for a fourth season with the Chargers and a 12th overall in the NFL, keeping intact one of two defensive pillars for another year.
Among the newcomers are draft picks Jamaree Caldwell at defensive line, Kyle Kennard at outside linebacker and defensive back RJ Mickens. Hortiz also signed free agents Da’Shawn Hand and Naquan Jones on the defensive line, Caleb Murphy at outside linebacker, Del’Shawn Phillips and Marlowe Wax at inside linebacker and defensive backs Donte Jackson, Nikko Reed and Kendall Williamson.
Here’s a look at the Chargers’ defense heading into the 2025 regular season, which opens Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil:
Defensive linemen: Teair Tart, Otito Ogbonnia, Da’Shawn Hand, Jamaree Caldwell, Naquan Jones, Justin Eboigbe, Scott Matlock
The Chargers’ run defense actually gave up a slightly higher average per game (117.5 yards) last season than during the 2023 season (113.2 yards). They also gave up an average of 4.7 yards per attempt, up from 4.1 yards during 2023. So it was imperative to get better on the D-line.
The status quo wasn’t going to cut it for 2025. Hortiz re-signed Tart and added Caldwell in the draft and Hand and Jones through free agency. Eboigbe and Matlock will add depth, although Matlock will be featured more often this season as a fullback or a tight end while playing both ways.
Outside linebackers: Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree, Caleb Murphy, Kyle Kennard
Mack talked about retirement after the Chargers’ postseason loss to the Texans, but, apparently, his wife was having none of it and urged him to get back in the game. Or so he said after signing a one-season, fully guaranteed $18 million contract March 10, only minutes before he would have been a free agent.
Tuipulotu shifted into the void created when the Chargers cut longtime pass rusher Joey Bosa, who then signed with the Buffalo Bills. After two seasons as a depth player behind Mack and Bosa, it was clear Tuipulotu was primed to become a full-time starter opposite Mack.
Dupree, Murphy and Kennard give the Chargers a deep group of pass rushers. Murphy was an unexpected addition to the 53-man roster, but he impressed with an outstanding training camp, including superb play during exhibition games. Kennard, a fourth-round pick, adds depth.
Inside linebackers: Daiyan Henley, Denzel Perryman, Troy Dye, Marlowe Wax, Del’Shawn Phillips
Henley had a breakthrough season in 2024, and it figures that he will continue to improve in what looks like a solid linebacking corps. Perryman and Dye are joined by free agents Wax and Phillips, who will make up for the absence of Junior Colson after Colson had season-ending shoulder surgery.
Last season, Henley led the Chargers with 142 tackles, including 82 solo. He had one interception, one sack and seven tackles for loss. He rebounded from an injury-filled rookie season in 2023 in a big way, becoming one of the leaders of the Chargers’ top-ranked defense.
Defensive backs: Derwin James Jr., Alohi Gilman, Elijah Molden, RJ Mickens, Kendall Williamson, Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, Benjamin St-Juste, Ja’Sir Taylor, Nikko Reed
James joins forces again with Mack as one of the Chargers’ defensive pillars. Last season, the versatile safety played a new role as a nickel back, playing a disruptive role closer to the line of scrimmage while Gilman and Molden played the traditional roles as safeties farther from the line.
Molden’s 2024 season ended with a broken leg, but he has since fully recovered and signed a three-year, $18 million contract to stay with the Chargers. James, Gilman and Molden give the Chargers a sense of continuity at safety that wasn’t present with their cornerbacks going into camp.
By camp’s end, Minter said he wasn’t disappointed the starting positions weren’t settled. He said the way he looked at it, the Chargers had four starters in Still, Jackson, Hart and St-Juste, and would be comfortable with any two lining up to start the season-opening game Friday.
Still and Hart, who were fifth-round draft picks in 2024, earned starting roles last season earlier than anyone might have expected going into their rookie seasons. Injuries to key players and lackluster play from others opened the door and Still and Hart ran through and shut it behind them with their reliable play.